The Detroit Pistons have had a fairly quiet offseason, making very little free agent signings but quite a bit of trades while losing one of their major pieces from last season.
Detroit had the eighth overall pick during the 2015 NBA draft and had the chance to select Justise Winslow but instead took Stanley Johnson. Many believed they made a mistake, but perhaps Johnson was the right choice?
The former Arizona Wildcat averaged 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and shot 57.7 percent from the floor during Orlando Summer League. Now it’s time to see if Johnson can translate that into regular season play.
As far as free agency goes, the Pistons lost one of their best players from last season in Greg Monroe. Last summer when Monroe was a restricted free agent, he accepted the qualifying offer to return to Detroit, but Stan Van Gundy feared that the 25-year old out of Georgetown would leave them this summer, and he was correct.
Knowing that Monroe would likely leave, the Pistons pulled off a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire Ersan Ilyasova as a replacement before the start of free agency. Ilyasova is a stretch four with satisfactory rebounding and three-point shooting abilities. However he is nowhere near Monroe talent wise. Monroe averaged a double-double last season with 16 points and 10 rebounds a game, something that Ilyasova has never done in his career.
The Pistons executed another trade last month, obtaining Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Danny Granger from the Phoenix Suns. Although the Pistons picked up a couple of solid pieces in this trade, it was merely a salary dump for the Suns, who were pursuing LaMarcus Aldridge at the time.
Morris is a wonderful three-point shooter with the ability to play the three or the four. Bullock is one player in this trade that could excite Detroit. The former first-round pick has been unable to receive much playing time throughout his short career, but he could become a key role player in Detroit which will allow him to show off his defensive capabilities.
Looking for more backcourt depth, the Pistons attained Steve Blake in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Van Gundy expressed the desire to gain a veteran leader and intelligent player like Blake, one who could guide the younger point guards like Brandon Jennings and Reggie Jackson.
Speaking of Jackson, the 25-year-old guard cashed out this summer by signing a five-year, $80 million worthwhile deal to remain in Detroit. But now the Pistons have two starter-worthy point guards that will need to figure out how to mesh in the backcourt. Coach Van Gundy will have his hands full trying to figure out how to keep the point guards happy and it’s not going to be easy when egos collide.
Furthermore, Detroit snagged San Antonio Spurs’ big man Aron Baynes to give them depth at the center position and to join Joel Anthony, who re-signed to a two-year deal. Baynes didn’t earn heavy minutes in San Antonio but he brings defense and size in the middle. The Pistons are hoping the Australian could at least give them solid 15-20 minutes a night playing behind Andre Drummond.
That pretty much sums up Detroit’s offseason, and it certainly hasn’t been pleasing, bearing in mind the loss of Greg Monroe. The Pistons did, however, shore up their small forward position this summer, which was an area of problem last year.
Off-Season Grade: D+